Go Green: How to green your holidays

Tuesday

Nov 22, 2011 at 12:01 AMNov 22, 2011 at 10:20 PM

This holiday season, you can cut back on waste and make your celebration more thoughtful by focusing on the homemade, the locally made, and the reusable. You’ll go easier on the earth’s resources and have more interesting gifts to offer friends and family. And remember: memories are made by enjoying our loved ones, not by using oodles of packaging or buying the latest electronics (which will be laughably outdated in five years anyway).

Carolyn Sperry

This holiday season, you can cut back on waste and make your celebration more thoughtful by focusing on the homemade, the locally made, and the reusable. You’ll go easier on the earth’s resources and have more interesting gifts to offer friends and family. And remember: memories are made by enjoying our loved ones, not by using oodles of packaging or buying the latest electronics (which will be laughably outdated in five years anyway).

Thanksgiving:

If you’re hosting, consider whether you really need disposable dishes, silverware, or table covers. Break out the real stuff and you’ll cut down on a lot of waste. Serving a huge crowd? See if you can borrow some dishes.

Buy and serve local produce and a local turkey if available. If you’re serving wine, try an organic or locally produced variety; it might be a nice conversation starter. And when making that big shopping trip, don’t forget your reusable shopping bags.

If you’ll have a house packed with people, turn down the thermostat before they arrive. Body heat will keep the place toasty, especially if the oven has been on for hours.

Make a centerpiece using foliage, gourds, or ornamental corn and you can stick it right in the compost pile when the party is over.

Christmas:

Give gifts without excess packaging. Buy locally-made goods and you’ll not only give unique presents, you’ll also cut down on transportation waste and throw your support to your own community. Antique stores, flea markets or even thrift stores can be great places to find thoughtful gifts that already exist and therefore don’t use more energy to make. If you have the time and inclination, homemade gifts can be both inexpensive and meaningful.

Send e-cards instead of mailed ones and you’ll save time, money and a lot of waste.

Take a deep breath and think before shopping. Excess goods don’t really make people happy, and countless unwanted gifts end up donated or even trashed. If you’re on the receiving end of a not-so-amazing gift, remember to donate it so someone else can make use of it.

Save Christmas cards to make repurposed tags for next year’s gifts. Gift bags can be re-used, as can creative coverings like fabric and scarves. You can even re-use wrapping paper, ribbons and bows—if done artfully, no one will notice.

New Year’s Eve:

Skip the paper and use electronic invitations

Make decorations or confetti out of Christmas castoffs like wrapping paper and boxes. If you must buy things like party hats, try to get sturdy ones not emblazoned with a year that could be used again next year.